Police: Student redirected FSU PC wifi users to porn site

Published: Monday, March 11, 2013 at 08:53 PM.

PANAMA
CITY
— A student who allegedly hacked into the wireless Internet network at
Florida
St
ate University Panama
City
and redirected users to a porn site is facing felony charges.

Benjamin Blouin, 26, admitted to hacking the college’s network because he wanted to illustrate the security
fla
ws in the system, according to an arrest affidavit filed by campus police charging him with offenses against computer users, a third-degree felony.

According to the affidavit:

On March 1, users who accessed the wifi on campus were redirected from the FSU PC homepage to a site displaying a video of two men having sex.

It’s not clear how many students, staff and faculty actually saw the video or how long the wifi was disrupted.

FSU PC director of advancement Becky Kelly issued a statement about the incident indicating the school had shut down public access to the wifi network and implemented system upgrades. Users will be required to login to the use the network.

PANAMA CITY — A student who allegedly hacked into the wireless Internet network at Florida State University Panama City and redirected users to a porn site is facing felony charges.

Benjamin Blouin, 26, admitted to hacking the college’s network because he wanted to illustrate the security flaws in the system, according to an arrest affidavit filed by campus police charging him with offenses against computer users, a third-degree felony.

According to the affidavit:

On March 1, users who accessed the wifi on campus were redirected from the FSU PC homepage to a site displaying a video of two men having sex.

It’s not clear how many students, staff and faculty actually saw the video or how long the wifi was disrupted.

FSU PC director of advancement Becky Kelly issued a statement about the incident indicating the school had shut down public access to the wifi network and implemented system upgrades. Users will be required to login to the use the network.

Blouin said that’s what he wanted all along.

“That’s how it should be,” he said Monday night. “That’s how it is on every campus.”

Blouin, a computer engineering student, said he has been trying to bring the risks associated with the unsecured wireless network to the attention of school officials since last year.

“Anybody’s identity, while they’re logged onto that network, could be at risk,” Blouin said.

Police arrested Blouin after a meeting with administrators following the incident, which lasted roughly 30 minutes, he said. He never denied redirecting users, but he said he didn’t choose the site they would be redirected to.

Blouin added that meatspin.com was the default website on the the app he used.

He has been suspended from the campus as a result of his arrest and he had to spend a night in jail.